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Committee Approach to Galesburg School Deficit

T.J. Carson
Galesburg #205 is hoping to bring in the opinions of those in and out of the district to help reduce its deficit.

The head of the Galesburg School District wants to hear some new ideas when it comes to solving the district’s financial challenges. Galesburg is projecting a $2.6-million shortfall in the budget for the 2015/2016 school year.

Superintendent Ralph Grimm said the district has enough in reserves to balance the budget this year, but he doesn’t want to use them.

“We have about $12 million in reserve in our operating funds that we can use to go forward with. Well, if you’re spending that money, that $12 million dollars at $2.6 or $3.5 or $4 million dollars a year, your reserves aren’t going to last very long,” Grimm said. 

That’s why Grimm suggested, this week, that the school board form a new committee that specifically focuses on the deficit. This concept is not new to Grimm.  He said he created a budget committee while working in the Canton (Ill) and West Central School Districts.

Grimm said the committee would have 16-20 people.  He said it can bring in the perspectives of a wide-range of people in the community as he would look to add parents, business leaders and even people who do not have children in the district.

Grimm would like to have the committee created by the September 14 board meeting. He said it would probably take the panel until January to come up with a series of deficit reduction ideas.  Grimm said the district might not be able to reduce the entire operating deficit in one year, so the focus would likely be on the 2016-17 budget.

“We have typically identified a target number," said Grimm.  "In our case, the board has said they’d like for us to look at reducing $2 million out of next year’s budget.

Grimm said cutting personnel would not be his first option, but he said it would have to be on the table.  In fact, he said it would be up to the committee to decide what areas in the budget are "untouchable."